KMDIIM
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2011 with funding from
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Library and Archives
http://www.archive.org/details/vasilykandinskypOOrt
VASILY KMDIISKY
P1IITIM OBI GLASS
(HI1STERGLASMALEREI)
ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION
THE SOLOMOV R. GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM. NEW YORK
Published by The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York, 1966 All Rights Reserved
Library of Congress Card Catalogue Number 66-30562 Printed in Austria
THE SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM FOUNDATION
TRUSTEES
HARRY F. GUGGENHEIM, PRESIDENT
ALBERT E. THIELE, VICE PRESIDENT
H.H. ARNASON, VICE PRESIDENT, ART ADMINISTRATION
PETER O. LAWSON-JOHNSTON, VICE PRESIDENT, BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
ELEANOR, COUNTESS CASTLE STEWART
DANA DRAPER
A. CHAUNCEY NEWLIN
MRS. HENRY OBRE
DANIEL CATTON RICH
MICHAEL F. WETTACH
MEDLEY G. B. WHELPLEY
CARL ZIGROSSER
A hundred years ago, on December 4, 1866, Vasily Kandinsky was born
in Moscow. The Guggenheim Museum as one of the principal depositories of
Kandinsky's work therefore wishes to join in the world-wide tributes offered
to this great pioneer of modern painting. Since the retrospective held here as
recently as 1963 precludes a comprehensive treatment of Kandinsky's oeuvre,
the illumination of a particular aspect has been decided upon as a suitable
alternative.
The German term "Hinterglasmalerer" describes the subject better than
any attempted English translation could. Dissolved into its components Hinter-
glasmalerei means painting applied to the back surface of a glass pane. It means
further that the painted surface sealed opacmelv from behind, projects itself
forward through the transparent glass which is often held within an elaborate
frame upon which the artist may lavish his decorative care. There is no need
here to describe Hinterglasmalerei further, since Dr. Hans Konrad Rothel does
so in this catalogue — the first devoted to this precious and delightful aspect
of Kandinsky's art.
The Museum's gratitude toward Dr. Rothel however should be recorded
here. As Director of the Stadtische Galerie in Munich he has custody of the
largest extant number of Kandinskv's Hinterglasmalereien, and his generous
loan, therefore, made possible the first presentation of this phase in Kandinsky's
work in the United States. Together with his Assistant, Dr. Erika Hanfstaengl,
Dr. Rothel also provided the valuable documentation published in the following
pages for the first time.
The exhibition, however, would be restricted to contributions from a
single source had not Mme. Nina Kandinsky, the artist's widow, graciously lent
the four works in this medium that remain in her hands. These were added
to other valuable loans from Herr Dr. Beck, Frau Annemarie Rose, an anony-
mous collector as well as The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum's own single
glass work.
Such an assemblage leaves only one sizeable group executed in the glass
medium beyond our reach. It is the series of works on glass now in various
museums in the Soviet Union which Kandinsky completed between his return
to Russia in 1914 and his departure in 1921. While this phase of Kandinsky's
Hinterglasmalerei will be missed in this show, the catalogue profited from the
information given by Mr. B. Bolodarski of the Tretjakoff Gallery, Moscow and
from Professor Kenneth C. Lindsay's photographic and descriptive documentation
which, made available to the Guggenheim Museum through Professor Lindsay's
generosity, again constitutes material not previously published and, therefore,
of extraordinary importance to Kandinsky scholarship.
The exhibition it seemed, would have missed the rare opportunity to
relate Kandinsky's Hinterglasmalerei with some of its sources, had it not included
examples of the Bavarian glass painter's craft which together with the memory
of Russian icons furnished points of departure for Kandinsky's glass art. Together
with selected works on paper — watercolors, drawings and prints and two
important oils by the master — which may be related to the glass work icono-
graphically — the Bavarian craft furnishes us with the background material upon
which a full understanding of the particular meaning of Hinterglasmalerei
depends. The loan of this accessory material, too, is due to the generosity of the
Stadtische Galerie in Munich and gives the Guggenheim Museum another oppor-
tunity for grateful acknowledgement.
Finally thanks are due to Dr. Louise Averill Svendsen who, assisted by
Rose-Carol Washton, is responsible for the preparation of this catalogue, to
Orrin H. Riley who designed the special installation in the Museum's High
Gallery and to Dr. Alfred Werner who translated Dr. Rothel's introduction
from the original German into English.
Thomas M. Messer, Director
HANS KONRAD ROTHEL
. the more possibilities for interpretation through fantasy the better.
Kandinsky
Costly because they are brittle, precious because of their artistic qualities,
these glass paintings deserve special treatment inasmuch as in no other medium did
Kandinsky create so many works of a religious nature nor depict such important
works with eschatological subjects. And there is humour too. A number of them
seem to have been produced almost playfully in the evening-hours1 while
Kandinsky and his friends were working on the almanac Der Blaue Reiter.2 They
might, therefore, be considered as bagatelles. Still, these glass paintings occupy a special
place in the oeuvre of the master, and their importance is of a different kind than
one would think if one were judging them solely by their fragile material or their casual
origin. One of the large color woodcuts from Klange^ is a modified version of a Hinter-
glasbild; the oil painting Little Pleasures — a title one would bke to apply to the entire
group of glass painting — has its origin in a Hinterglasbild ; Composition 6 (as stated
by Kandinsky himself in the notes which follow his autobiographical Ruckblicke4
was also based on a Hinterglasbild. Kandinsky must have thought highlv of his works
in this genre, for he allowed three of them to be shown at the first Blue Rider exhibition
held at Thannhauser's Gallery in Munich in 1911. (They are not listed in the catalogue).
Of course, these pictures were, in a sense, trifles. But to understand the significance
of such "playthings", one must consult a letter which Kandinskv addressed to Gabriele
Miinter, on August 10, 1904. Apparently, Miinter had been somewhat critical of his
early woodcuts. Kandinskv wrote5:
"You need not ask for the purpose of this or that work of mine. All of my
works have only one purpose, or rather, reason — I had to make them, because there
was no other way I could free myself of certain thoughts (or, perhaps, dreams). Nor
am I thinking of any practical use. I have just got to make the thing. Later, you will
understand this better. You say: A plaything! Indeed — everything which the artist
produces is only a plaything. He tortures himself, he is searching to find an expression
for his feelings and thoughts, he talks with color, form, drawing, sound, word, and so
forth. Why? This is a big question. We shall discuss this later. Viewed from the outside,
it is onlv playfulness. To the artist the question, 'For what purpose?' has little meaning.
All he knows is : 'Why'. That is how works of art originate, and that is also how things
originate which are not yet works of art, but only stations on the way to works of
art, yet already little lights, which have a sound within them. The first things, which
are works of art, and also the second, which are not (the first, after all, are only too
rare) must be made, because without making them, the artist would have no peace.
After all, you have observed at Kallmunz how I paint. In this manner I make every-
thing else which I must make : it is ready within me, and it must find expression. When
I 'plav' in this manner, every nerve within me is vibrating, in mv whole body there
is the sound of music, and God is in mv heart . . ."
As a rule, it is impossible to state exactly the sources of Kandinsky's artistic
inspiration. However, in this particular instance, one can clearly say that his glass
paintings were modeled on the Hinterglasmalerei of rural Bavaria. Gabriele Miinter
believed — according to her recollection6 — that she had been the first in her circle to
discover these examples of popular art. She collected and copied them. Eventuallv
this technique gave her so much pleasure that she made her own paintings on glass,
and, finally, also urged Kandinsky to produce something in this medium. The old
Hinterglasbilder, naive in motifs and simple in technique, were bound to appeal to
Milliter's nature and to her style, which consolidated itself around 1908. 7 It was
then — hardly earlier — that she came across these objects, for, after an absence of
four years, the two had just returned to Munich and bought a house at Murnau in
Southern Bavaria. When they discovered Murnau, some families in the village were
then still continuing to paint Hinterglasbilder in the old tradition. (See the examples
in the current exhibition).
"My inclination toward the 'hidden', the concealed, saved me from the harmful
side of folk art, which I saw for the first time in its true setting and original form on
my trip to the district of Vologda ... I shall never forget the large wooden houses
covered with carvings. In these wonderful houses I experienced something that has
never repeated itself since. They taught me to move in the picture, to live in the picture.
I still remember how I entered the room for the first time and stopped short on the
threshold before the unexpected sight. The table, the benches, the great oven, important
in Bussian peasant houses, the wardrobes and every object were painted with bright-
colored, large-figured decorations. On the walls folk paintings : a hero in symbolic
representation, a battle, a painted folk song. The 'red' corner ('red' is in old Bussian
equivalent for 'beautiful') thickly and completely covered with painted and printed
pictures of saints; in front of this, a small, red-burning, hanging lamp which glowed
and flourished like a knowing, gently-speaking, modest star, proudly living in and
for itself. When I finally entered the room, I felt myself surrounded on all sides by
Painting, into which I had thus penetrated. The same feeling slumbered within me,
unconsciously up to then, when I was in churches in Moscow and especially in the great
cathedral of the Kremlin. On my next visit to this church after mv return from the
trip, this feeling revived in me perfectly clearly. Later I often had the same experience
in Bavarian and Tyrolean chapels. Naturally the impression was differently colored
each time since different elements had formed the impression."8
However, what actuallv interested Kandinsky and his friends in these popular
artists was neither the folkloristic, nor the religious element, nor even the primitive
per se. It was das Kiinstlerische that aroused their enthusiasm; it was the genuineness
of their approach to art and the sincerity of their endeavours that made Kandinsky
write :
Fig. 1. Self- Portrait of Henri Rousseau,
by Franz Marc. Glass painting, 1911.
Collection Stadtische Galerie
im Lenbackhaus, Munich.
Fig. 2. St. Martin.
Bavarian glass painting. 77/sX 5".
Collection Gabriele Miinter- und
Johannes Eichner-Stiftung, Munich.
"This may account in part for our sympathy and affinity with and our com-
prehension of the work of primitives. Like ourselves, these pure artists sought to express
only inner and essential feelings in their works ; in this process they ignored the fortuitous
as a matter of course."9
A rather touching proof of the Blue Rider's esteem for "primitive" art is Franz
Marc's copy of a self-portrait by the Douanier Rousseau — Patron Saint of all naive
painting in the 20th century — on glass which is included in this exhibition (fig. 1).
And let it be remembered that two works by Henri Rousseau (from Kandinsky's
own collection) were included in the first Blue Rider show. Moreover, the fact that
Kandinsky and Marc decided to have a Bavarian glass painting as the colored frontispiece
in the Almanac (a version of the original is included in the current exhibition,
fig. 2) in addition to 10 further illustrations of Hinterglasbilder and an even greater
number of illustrations of other folkloristic and primitive art may well demonstrate
their predilection for these bagatelles.
If it is correct that The Yellow Horse (cat. no. 1) is the earliest work of Kan-
dinsky in this genre — and there is no reason to doubt the information given by Miinter —
it is clear why Kandinsky applies pigment in a maimer different from that in later
works in this style. In fact, Kandinsky was not yet using the glass as a special kind
of surface. The character of the brush strokes is in no way different from that
put on canvas or panel (compare The Blue Mountain in the Guggenheim Museum,
which, moreover, shows a similar motif).
10
The elements of primitivism and religiosity, being the chief characteristics
of folkloristic glass painting, converge in the Last Supper (cat. no. 2). The curtain
to the right, behind which Judas is about to disappear; the striking vase with flowers
upon the pedestal (which is highly puzzling); finally the trees to the left, reminiscent
of theater decor, make one suspect that the Passion Play of Oberammergau (1910)
or some other folk play may have served as an inspiration. Worth noting is the lack
of the artistic means of folkloristic glass painting proper: glowing large color areas,
simple tonality, "primitive" drawing in black contours. The first technical experi-
ment in the spirit of old glass painting may be the Christ-like Saint on a gold background
in the Study for a Last Supper (cat. no. 3).
If and when interpretations of uncertain facts appear to be too convincing,
even the historian who considers it his task to present his material as conclusively as
possible must become sceptical about the truth of his hypotheses: take the case of
Sancta Francisca (cat. no. 4). St. Francisca of Rome (1340-1440, canonized in 1608)
is the Patron Saint and Model of Christian Housewives.10 On the back of this glass
painting is scribbled in a primitive handwriting: "Fanny". Now, Fanny was the nick-
name of Kandinsky's servant Franziska Dengler, a Bavarian girl who worked
in his house since 1902, and the handwriting is hers. She was — as the wife of
August Macke recalls in her reminiscenses11 — "der gute Geist des Hauses". Quite
evidently Sancta Francisca is not a representation of the Roman Saint but
rather a humourous "Hommage a Fanny", the good spirit of his household. The
flowers in her hand are not the attributes of a Saint but possibly a birthday bouquet,
and the candles certainly do not stand on an altar but on a dining-table with a rural
tablecloth. However, what would even be more amusing — assuming that our chronology
is correct — would be that Fanny, the Bavarian peasant girl, might not only have inspired
this intriguing picture but might also have influenced Kandinsky's style in as much
as Sancta Francisca is closer to the rural Hinterglasmalerei than any of the earlier
examples. Here, for the first time, Kandinsky uses line and color in the traditional
manner, and part of the aesthetic pleasure of these paintings derives from the com-
bination of an apparent simplicity with a high artistic refinement.
No guesswork, about its date at least, is necessary in the case of St. Vladimir
(cat. no. 5). Inscribed on the reverse is "Kandinsky / Gemalt im Juni 1911 / in
Murnau".12 As far as both content and form are concerned, it combines in a striking
synthesis, Russian and Bavarian features, elements of the Icon and of the West
European votive picture and, last but not least, individual features with general ideas
in a somewhat allegorical way. St. Vladimir was the patron saint of the artist, as the
author was told by Madame Kandinsky. According to the Russian calendar the
15th of July is the joint Saints'-day of St. Vladimir and St. Vassily;13 Vassily, being
one of the four Fathers of the Church, and Vladimir, the first Russian prince who
accepted the Christian religion and spread it throughout Russia. The bearded face of
St. Vladimir in the glass painting resembles that of young Kandinsky. It is, there-
fore, conceivable that the painter — who was wont to 'hide' or 'enigmatize' his feelings
in his works — may have, with playful seriousness, given to the Saint's face his own
features. This guess is reinforced once one considers the missionary zeal of the artist,
given such unmistakable expression in his book, Concerning the Spiritual in Art:
"He [the artist] sees and points out. At times he would gladly relinquish this
high gift (often a heavy burden). But he cannot."14
"At the apex of the highest segment15 often stands one man. His joyful vision
is the measure of his inner sorrow."1^
"An invisible Moses descends from the mountain and sees the dancing around
the golden calf. But he brings to man fresh stores of wisdom."17
11
To what extent do these interpretations, offered here with proper caution,
come near to the truth? To answer this, one must venture into the background of
Kandinsky's artistic and literary efforts. His concept of the future of painting as a
manifestation of the soul in the "epoch of great spirituality" is based on his idea
that the materialism of the 19th century must be recognized as such and conquered
by the creative men of his own generation. For the time being, he says, artists mirror
the "great darkness", as do, for instance, the poet Maurice Maeterlinck, or the painter
Alfred Kubin (both of whom he calls "seers of the decadence").18 To the artist of
the future, however, is assigned a function closely resembhng that of a priest; he bears
a moral as well as an intellectual obligation; he must reimburse for the talent with
which he is endowed; his deeds, thoughts and feelings can either purify the spiritual
atmosphere of the time — or poison it ; his works are either constructive or destructive
forces on the way to building the new empire of the spirit. Some passages in his essay
make it appear as if the "spiritual in art" might be identical with the "higher worlds"
of Theosophv. Towards the end, however, Kandinsky clearly separates himself from
Theosophy, calling it one spiritual movement among others, though still extolling it:
". . . It remains a fundamentally spiritual movement. This movement represents
a strong agent in the general atmosphere, presaging deliverance to oppressed and
gloomy hearts."19
One passage from Rilckhlicke makes completely clear how strongly Kandinsky's
thought and art are rooted in religious feelings:
"Art is like religion in many respects. Its development does not consist of
new discoveries which strike out the old truths and label them errors (as is apparent
in science). Its development consists of sudden illuminations, like lightning, of explo-
sions, which burst like a fireworks in the heavens, strewing a whole 'bouquet' of
different shining stars about itself. This illumination shows new perspectives in a
blinding light, new truths which are basically nothing more than the organic develop-
ment, the organic growing of earlier wisdom which is not voided by the later, but as
wisdom and truth continues to five and produce. . . . Would the New Testament
have been possible without the Old? Would our epoch on the threshold of the 'third'
revelation be conceivable without the second?"20
The content and form of most of these Hinterglasbilder can be understood
only in the context of the train of thought indicated here. However, the problems
are so complex that full consideration would go far beyond the narrow scope of the
Hinterglasbilder and hence beyond an introduction for this particular exhibition.
I shall therefore limit myself to demonstrating, at this point, by a few examples what
Kandinsky's conception was.
Most of the motifs of All Saint's Day (cat. no. 8) are listed in the catalogue.
They originate in different iconographic fields of an eschatological nature. The title
was chosen with reference to a related oil painting, to which Kandinsky had given
the same title (G. M. S. 71). The gathering of a number of saints (some recognizable,
and some not) would justify it. Other figures, however, belong to other realms — the
angel with trumpet to the Last Judgement, Noah's Ark and the Dove of Peace to the
theme of the Deluge.
In 1912 he painted The Last Judgement (cat. no. 18). In it a number of
motifs from All Saint's Day (cat. no. 8) are repeated but, being transformed into an
abstract formal pattern they are barely recognizable. The sleeping monk with a candle
has shrunk into a black liplike form in the lower right corner. The wildly curved forms in
the upper left of The Last Judgement are the "abstractions" of an angel holding a trumpet
as in St. Gabriel (cat. no. 15). It is not possible to give more details here; the visitor to the
exhibition may indulge in tracing a vast number of such derivations. It should be
12
pointed out, however, that hardly any pattern in the early abstract paintings of Kan-
dinskv cannot be derived from a meaningful form. These paintings may be called
'"abstract" but certainly not "non-objective". Thus the woodcut from Klange
(fig. 3) and the Study for Composition 7 (both included in the current exhibition)
demonstrate further steps to what Kandinskv would have called "spiritualization".
A quotation from an unpublished letter by Kandinskv to Gabriele Miinter
(January 31. 1904) may demonstrate how early he arrived at his principle of creativity,
and how strongly marked and pronounced his "philosophy of art" was, even at a
time when his work was still far from abstract, and when, therefore, no self-defense
would have been called for: "So funny, people notice in mv drawings only the 'decora-
tive', and nothing of the content. But I do not wish to underscore."
"One must only trail a picture's content. To me, obtrusive content is neither
beautiful nor noble nor delicate. There must be, almost at once, a beautiful form (to
be sure, 'beautiful' must be understood in the artistic sense, which, to the uninitiated,
might, perhaps, also be 'unbeautiful'). Sometimes, the beauty in a thing need not be
seen right away. At first sight, some things must have the effect of incomprehensibility.
Thereafter the beauty will come to the fore, and only then, to the sensitive observer,
the inner content. The thing must 'ring', and through this ring one comes, slowly,
to the content. This content, however, must never be too clear and too simple; the
more possibilities for interpretation through fantasy the better. Different contrasts
of forms-feelings are best mixed, if a deep and serious content is to be expected. And
the deaf and the blind may just as well pass by undisturbed, without noticing a thing.
If he notices anything, it is tough: the thing is then certainly ignoble and cheap. There
you have my philosophy of art, about which I generally do not like to talk. But I
want you to know it . . ."21
Fig. 3. Woodcut from Klange, Munich 1913.
Fig. 6. Kandinsky. Munich, c. 1913.
Photograph taken by Gabriele Miinter.
13
Fig. 4. The Deluge. Lost Kandinsky glass painting, c. 1912. Fig. 5. Composition 6, 1913. U.S.S.R.
Before commenting upon Kandinsky 's "Philosophy of Art" and the meaning
of the morphological development it seems advisable to qviote the artist himself on
the relationship between the lost glass painting Deluge (cat. no. 33, fig. 4) and Com-
position 6 (fig. 5). In the notes following Riickblicke22 Kandinsky writes:
"This picture I carried within me for a year and a half, and I often thought
that I woidd not be able to realize it. The point of departure was the Deluge, a
glass painting, which I made largely for fun. There are several forms, and some of
them are amusing: nudes, Noah's Ark, animals, palm trees, lightnings, rain etc. (I
enjoyed mingling the serious forms with humorous content). When the glass painting
was finished, the wish arose to use this theme for a composition in oil, and it was rather
clear to me how I should make it. Soon, however, this feeling of certainty disappeared,
and I got lost in figurative forms which I had made only to clarify the concept of the
picture. In several sketches I dissolved the forms, in others I tried to attain the impres-
sion in a purely abstract manner. But it did not work. And the reason for this was
that I succumbed to the literal meaning of "Deluge", instead of obeving the sound
of the word "Deluge". I was ruled by the exterior impression rather than by the interior
sound. Weeks passed, I tried again and again, but always without success. I also tried
the tested remedy of turning away from the task for a while so that at one point
I might, suddenly, be able to see the better of the sketches with new eyes.
Indeed, I then did see the right things in them, but I was still unable to separate
the nucleus from the skin. I thought of a snake which did not quite succeed in crawling
out of its old skin. This skin already looked so terribly dead — but it still clung . . ."
"My glass painting was then away on exhibition. But when it came back and
I looked at it again, at once I got the exciting inner shock, which I had experienced
after producing the glass painting. But I was already mistrustful and did not believe
that I woidd now be able to make the big picture. Nevertheless, I looked, now and then,
at the glass painting, which was hanging in my studio (fig. 6). Each time I was stirred,
first by the colors, then by the composition, and finally by the drawn contours, without
reference to the subject matter itself. This glass painting had been separated from me.
It was strange to me that I should have painted it. And it had the same effect upon
me as some objects or concepts that have the power to rouse within me, through a
vibration of the soul, purely painterlv visions, and end up by making me create
pictures . . ."
14
Continuing this analysis of Composition 6, Kandinsky writes almost exclusively
of the technical point of view. Now and then, though, there is a reference to the content,
for instance, where he speaks of the "dramatic sounding action of the lines", or of
a "very abstract-sounding note, reminiscent of the element of hopelessness." In
conclusion, however, he writes:
"Thus all elements — even those which contradict themselves — are brought
into complete inner equilibrium, so that no single element gets the upper hand. The
generating motif — The Deluge — is abandoned, and is transfigured into pure painting.
Nothing could be more false than to stamp this picture as the representation of
an event."22
In Kandinsky 's vision, therefore, the biblical story of the Deluge did not merely
mean a disastrous end but through Noah's Ark also represented "a hymn of the new
genesis that follows the catastrophe". Hence the ideas of the Last Judgement and the
Resurrection were mingled with his conception of destruction and rebirth. It cannot
here be the occasion to deduct the eschatological literature relative to the matter. For
Kandinsky's painting it is important that, deriving from all the above mentioned
elements, he felt a new "sound" vibrate in his soul. For reasons of "inner necessity"
abstract forms appeared to him to be the only way of expressing this vision. Not
only Composition 6 is based on eschatological themes but, as becomes evident in the
earliest oil study (included in the current exhibition), also Composition 7 has a similar
meaning and content.
Finally a note on the technique and history of Hinterglasbilder, based on the
study made by Erika Hanfstaengl:2^
The painting is made on a panel of glass. Everything that is to be closest to
the eye of the onlooker — such as details of drawing, highlights and glazings — must
be applied first — whereas in painting on canvas or panel they come last. Secondly,
the pigments are put on. Many different tricks are possible to enrich the paintings.
For instance, colors may be scratched off and the empty spots covered with other
colors; metal foil covered with transparent hues may be applied, thus simulating precious
stones. A particularly charming effect is obtained by covering the glass with such
substances as mercury, tinfoil or gold leaf — thereby creating a mirror behind the
picture. Finally some opaque layer is put on. When the picture is finished, the panel
is turned so that the viewer sees the composition in reverse.
Examples of Hinterglasmalerei have been known in Europe since late Antiquity.
The Florentine Cennino Cennini, who lived in the late 14th century, in his book on
the art of painting 77 Libro oV Arte devotes a special chapter to this genre. Most of
the known samples belong to the decorative arts and are related to goldsmiths' work.
In the 18th century Hinterglasmalerei was taken over by amateur painters; it also
flourished in rural regions in many parts of Europe.
Generally the designs were copied from prints. These motifs and compositions
were retained for generations, with minor changes, and the craftsmanship was often
the heritage of certain families who continued to produce these pictures. Through
the sale of these objects the country folk who made them augmented their meager
income during the winter months. The number of themes was limited. The subjects
were chiefly saints who had some connection with the particular region or village.
Translated by Alfred Werner
15
N O T E S
1. Elisabeth Erdmann-Macke, Erinnerung an August Macke, Stuttgart, W. Kohlhammer, 1962.
2. Kandinsky and Franz Marc, editors. Der Blaue Reiter Almanach, Munich, R. Piper, 1912.
3. Kandinsky, Kldnge, Munich, R. Piper, 1913. Prose poems with 56 woodcuts.
4. Kandinsky, "Riickblicke", "Notizen-Komposition 6", Kandinsky, 1901 — 1913, Berlin, Der
Sturm, 1913.
English translation, "Reminiscences", in Robert L. Herbert, ed. Modern Artists on Art, Engle-
wood Cliffs, New Jersey, Prentice-Hall, 1964. Hereinafter cited as Kandinsky, "Reminiscences".
5. Archives Der Blaue Reiter, Stadtische Galerie, Munich.
6. Johannes Eichner, Kandinsky und Gabriele Miinter, von Urspriingen moderner Kunst, Munich,
F. Bruckmann, 1957, p. 91. Klee's relationship to glass painting, though earlier in date, is of quite
a different nature, cf. Erika Hanfstaengl, Hinterglasmalerei im 20. Jahrhundert, to be published
1967.
In addition to the main source of inspiration for the glass paintings there should be men-
tioned as a matter of course the Russian Icons and also another folkloristic source, i. e. the
so-called "Lubok", two examples of which are included in the current exhibition.
7. On the occasion of an exhibition of works by Gabriele Miinter at Stockholm, in 1916, Kandinsky,
describing her style, said, among other things, that the artist had "a simple harmony of her
own, consisting of exclusively profound colors, whose low tonality stood in a proper relationship
to the drawing. Such color harmonies one can see in old German Hinterglasmalereien and also
in the works of the German primitives . . ."
8. Kandinsky, "Reminiscences", pp. 30-31.
9. Kandinsky. Uber das Geistige in der Kunst, Munich, R. Piper, 1912. English translation, Concerning
the Spiritual in Art, New York, Wittenborn Schultz, 1947, p. 23. Hereinafter cited as Kandinsky,
Concerning the Spiritual in Art.
10. The Guggenheim painting — unfortunately — cannot be related to St. Francesca Saverio Cabrini,
who came to New York in 1888 and became famous as the "mother of emigrants". She founded
the order of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart and died in Chicago in 1917. She
was canonizied in 1946.
11. Elisabeth Erdmann-Macke, op. cit., p. 189.
12. Kandinsky / Painted in June 1911 / in Murnau.
13. Kandinsky used to say his prayers every night, as Madame Kandinsky told the author. On
July 15th he and his wife would sometimes attend the services of an Orthodox Russian Church
and would always go out for dinner and have a very good meal.
14. Kandinsky, Concerning the Spiritual in Art, p. 26.
15. Kandinsky compares the spiritual structure of human society to a triangle.
16. Kandinsky, Concerning the Spiritual in Art, p. 27.
17. Ibid., p. 16.
18. Ibid., p. 33.
19. Ibid., p. 33.
20. Kandinsky, "Reminiscences", p. 39.
21. Archives Der Blaue Reiter, Stadtische Galerie, Munich.
22. Kandinsky, "Notizen — Komposition 6" Kandinsky, 1901 — 1913, Berlin, Der Sturm, 1913, pp.
XXV— XXXVIII.
23. Erika Hanfstaengl, Hinterglasmalerei im 20. Jahrhundert to be published 1967.
WORKS l\ THE i:\llll!ITIIh
English titles precede the original German or French.
In measurements, heights precede widths.
Detailed description concerning the technique has not been attempted.
Data published in earlier catalogues of the Stadtische Galerie have all been
checked or corrected if necessary.
Abbreviations: Monogram; Kandinsky often signed his work with a mono-
gram of a K within a circle or triangular form.
House catalogue no.: The house catalogue referred to is not
the general house catalogue of painting but is a separate
list of the glass paintings done in 1917-1918 (catalogue
nos. 36-52). The two glass paintings made in 1936 are listed
in the main house catalogue of paintings as nos. 634, 635.
Both are in the possession of Nina Kandinsky.
Grohmann references are from Will Grohmann, Vassily
Kandinsky: Life and Work, New York, Harry N. Abrams Inc.,
1958 (Cologne, Du Mont Schauberg, 1958).
G. M. S. : Gabriele-Miinter-Stiftung, Stadtische Galerie im
Lenbachhaus, Munich.
The folkloristic glass paintings, "Ex Voto" pictures and
Russian prints ("Lubok") were part of Kandinsky's collection
and are the property of the Gabriele-Miinter- and Johannes-
Eichner-Stiftung, Munich.
All works in the exhibition, unless otherwise noted, are lent by the Stadtische
Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich.
1. THE YELLOW HORSE (MIT GELBEM PFERD). 1909.
7V'sX 11 Vs" (19.9X 28.8 cm.). G. M. S. 117.
Inscribed by Gabriele Miinter on reverse: "Kandinsky, erstes Glasbild".
Not in Grohmann.
LAST SUPPER (ABENDMAHL). 1910.
91/4X 131/4" (23.3X 34.2 cm.). G. M. S. 111.
Inscribed by Gabriele Munter on reverse: "Kandinsky 1910".
Not in Grohmann.
Watercolor with composition reversed, 37/sX55/s" (9.9x 14.2 cm.).
G. M. S. 582.
Painted perhaps under the impression of the Oberammergau Passion Play.
3. STUDY FOR A LAST SUPPER (STUDIE ZU EINEM ABENDMAHL). 1910.
31/2X21/2" (9x7 cm.). G. M. S. 114.
Not in Grohmann.
SANCTA FRANCISCA. 1911.
6'/4X45/8" (15.5x11 cm.).
Inscribed: "Sancta Francisca".
Grohmann p. 346, fig. 662.
Collection The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York.
5. ST. VLADIMIR (HEILIGER WLADIMIR). 1911.
Il3/8x lOVs" (29X 25.6 cm.). G. M. S. 127.
Inscribed u. r.: SVATIJ KNIAS VLADIMIR (Holy Prince Vladimir).
Inscribed on reverse: "Kandinsky / Gemalt im Juni 1911 / in Murnau".
Not in Grohmann.
Frame painted by Kandinsky.
Baptism in the Dnieper.
St. Vladimir appears several times in the glass paintings. There is also a
watercolor, Gabriele-Munter- und Johannes-Eichner-Stiftung, Munich
I21/2XI2V2" (32.5x32.5 cm.). The group of pagans being baptized
has been used for a woodcut in Klange.
ST. GEORGE I (HEILIGER GEORG I). 1911.
71/2X 73/4" (19X 19,7 cm.). G. M. S. 105.
Inscribed on reverse: "Kandinsky / gemalt im Juni 1911 / in Murnau".
Frame painted by Kandinsky.
Not in Grohmann.
7. ST. GEORGE II (HEILIGER GEORG II). 1911.
IP/4X 53/4" (29.8X 14.7 cm.). G. M. S. 110.
Frame painted by Kandinsky.
Grohmann p. 346, fig. 668.
Same motif in the color woodcut on the cover of the Blaue Reiter
Almanack, Munich, 1912; there without the dragon. Hypotheti-
cally it might be suggested that the features of the rider could be
a physiognomic allusion to Franz Marc.
ALL SAINTS' DAY I (ALLERHEILIGEN I). 1911.
133/8Xl6" (34.5x40.5 cm.). G. M. S. 107.
Frame painted by Kandinsky.
Grohmann p. 346, fig. 667.
Was shown in the first exhibition of the Blaue Reiter, Munich, 1911 (not
listed in the catalogue).
Probably the earliest and definitely the least abstract version of Kandinsky's
rendering of eschatological themes like All Saints — Deluge — Last
Judgement — Resurrection. Recognizable motifs: Kremlin architec-
ture with sun, Christ crucified, flower, moon, angel with trumpet,
Noah's Ark, dove of peace, bird of paradise, butterfly, St. Vladimir,
holy knight, female saint with crossed arms, female saint with
candle, holy couple embracing, bending woman, crouching female
saint, lying monk. Compare with cat. no. 17.
FANTASTIC BIRD AND BLACK PANTHER
(PHANTASIEVOGEL UND SCHWARZER PANTHER). 1911. (above left)
4i/4X35/8" (10.8x9.2 em.). G. M. S. 116.
Inscribed on reverse: "Kandinsky / Juni 1911 / Murnau".
Not in Grohmann.
According to information given to the author by Gabriele Miinter,
Kandinsky painted this picture in response to her wish that he
create something especially beautiful for her.
10. RIDER AND APPLE PICKER
(REITER UND APFELPFLUCKERIN). c. 1911. (above right)
61/8X61/4" (15.5x16 cm.).
Frame painted by Kandinsky.
Grohmann p. 346, fig. 660, titled "Mythological Scene" and dated 1908.
Collection Dr. Helmut Beck, Stuttgart.
11. LION HUNT (LOWENJAGD). c. 1911. (above)
3V4X5'/2" (9.5x13.9 cm.).
Inscribed 1.1.: "Lowenjagd".
Frame painted by Kandinsky.
Not in Grohmann.
Collection Mrs. Annemarie Rose (nee Miinter), Ratingen, Germany.
According to an information given to the author by Gabriele Miinter,
LION HUNT was painted for her niece, the present owner.
12. ANGEL OF THE LAST JUDGEMENT
(ENGEL DES JUNGSTEN GERICHTS). 1911. (below preceding page)
IO1/4X 6V4" (26 X 17 cm.). G. M. S. 113.
Inscribed on reverse: "Kandinsky / Gemalt im August 1911 / in Murnau".
Frame painted by Kandinsky.
Grohmann, p. 346.
13. RESURRECTION (AUFERSTEHUNG). 1911. (above left)
8i/2x45/8" (21.7x11.6 cm.). G. M. S. 112.
Inscribed 1. r. in Cyrillic letters: VOSKRESENJE (Resurrection).
Inscribed on reverse: "Kandinsky / Gemalt im August 1911 / in Murnau".
Frame painted by Kandinsky.
Grohmann, p. 346, fig. 664.
Same motif in oil painting (1910), Collection Joseph H. Hazen, New York.
This version makes it clear that the kneeling figure is covering its
ears and not taking off its head.
14. LARGE RESURRECTION (GROSSE AUFERSTEHUNG). 1911. (above right)
9V8X91/2" (23.8x24 cm.). G. M.S. 125.
Monogram 1. 1.
Frame painted by Kandinsky.
Grohmann p. 346, fig. 666.
A watercolor with a similar motif G. M. S. 457, 85/3X83/4" (21.7 X 21.9 cm.)
Dated according to several letters from Kandinsky to Gabriele Miinter of
June and July 1911, where he says that he is working on the
woodcut "with angel's trumpet" after his glass painting. The
woodcut referred to appeared in Kldnge. Compare also the woodcut
for the cover of On the Spiritual in Art.
15. ST. GABRIEL (DER HEILIGE GABRIEL), c. 1911.
I53/4X 10" (40 x 25.3 cm.). G. M. S. 123.
Inscribed 1. r. in Cyrillic letters: GAB/RIEL.
Not in Grohmann.
According to information given by Miinter to the author, Kandinsky
painted this for her because of her Christian name Gabriele.
16. HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE I. 1911.
(APOKALYPTISCHE REITER I).
115/8X8" (29.5x20.3 cm.). G. M. S. 121.
Frame painted by Kandinsky.
Grohmann, p. 346, fig. 665, titled "Horsemen".
Dated by Kandinsky on an old photograph "1911". Published by the artist
in Sturm-Album, Berlin 1913, p. 42 with the year 1910. Exhibited in
the first Blaue Reiter exhibition Munich 1911, according to a label
on the reverse.
Only three of the four horsemen of the apocalypse with their attributes of
sword, scales, and bow and arrow are shown. In the lower left is
St. John of Patmos, fed by a raven, like Elijah in the desert.
JkjMtA "1? j#- -i I I -4
ALL SAINTS' DAY II (ALLERHEILIGEN II). 1911.
123/8xl8Vs" (31.3x48 cm.). G. M. S. 122.
Monogram 1. r.
Frame painted by Kandinsky.
Grohmann, p. 346.
Compare with cat. no. 8 ; "All Saints' Day I".
Preparatory watercolor G. M. S. 616, 12>/2Xl87/8" (31.6x48 cm.); for the
title see also the oil paintings G. M. S. 62, 337/sX39" (86x99 cm.)
and G. M. S. 71, I93/4X 25 Vs" (50 X 64.5 cm.).
Recognizable motifs: sun, ascension of Elijah, angel blowing on a trumpet.
a rower, an ecclesiastical architecture, embracing couple, Saint
Martin ( ?), tree with sickle-shaped branches, saint with raised arms.
18. THE LAST JUDGEMENT (JUNGSTER TAG). 1912.
133/8X173/4" (34x45 cm.).
Monogram 1. r.
Frame painted by Kandinsky.
Grohmann, p. 346, fig. 663.
Collection Nina Kandinsky, Neuilly-sur-Seine.
Called "Jungster Tag" and dated 1912 by Kandinsky on an old photograph.
Preparatory watercolor G. M. S. 147, 117/8X 167/4" (29x 42.9 cm.).
Similar motif in a watercolor in the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
Note the increased abstraction of the woodcut in Kldnge, fig. 3.
For the derivation of several motifs see cat. nos. 8, 12, 14, 17.
22. COW IN MOSCOW (KUH IN MOSKAU). 1912.
llxl25/8" (28x32.2 cm.). G. M. S. 109.
Monogram: 1.1.
Inscribed on reverse: "Gemalt in Murnau: Mai 1912 / Kuh in Moskau".
Frame painted by Kandinsky.
Grohmann, p. 346.
There is also a watercolor, 11 X 12 3/4" (28 X 32.2 cm.) in the Gabriele-Munter-
und Johannes-Eichner-Stiftung, Munich.
23. LADY IN MOSCOW (DAME IN MOSKAU). c. 1912.
13i/gX 12" (33.2X 30.6 cm.). G. M. S. 124.
Monogram: 1.1.
Frame painted by Kandinsky.
Not in Grohmann.
Same motif as in the oil painting G. M. S. 73, 42v/8X 42 Vs" (108.8 X 108.8 cm.)
and the watercolor, I272XH" (31.6x28 cm.) in the Gabriele-
Miinter- und Johannes-Eichner-Stiftung, Munich.
* 9
24. GENTLEMAN WITH TRUMPET (KAVALIER MIT TROMPETE). c. 1912.
125/sX lO'/s" (30.5 X 19.9 cm.). G. M. S. 128.
Monogram: 1.1.
Frame painted by Kandinsky.
Not in Grohmann.
25. THE SWAN (MIT SCHWAN). c.1912.
125/sXlOVs" (32x27.7 cm.). G. M. S. 118.
Monogram: 1.1.
Frame painted by Kandinsky.
Not in Grohmann.
Compare subject with the watercolor, The Annunciation of Der Blaue
Reiter, 1912, which because of its increased abstraction is probably
later in date. A female nude reclines on a rock in the upper right.
26. PINCE-NEZ (MIT KNEIFER). 1912. (above)
Il3/8x9" (29X23 cm.).
Monogram: 1. r.
Inscribed on reverse: "Glasbild mit Kneifer / Murnau 1912".
Frame painted by Kandinsky.
Grohmann, p. 346, fig. 670.
Collection Nina Kandinsky, Neuilly-sur-Seine.
Two faces, one with "pince-nez" (Kandinsky's self-portrait), appear in the
lower third of the picture near the right edge. Further motifs:
ship, gravestones, church steeple, crocodiles, houses, tree, cart with
two wheels, a cat.
27. THE RED SPOT (MIT ROTEM FLECK).
103/4x9Vs" (27.2x24.4 cm.). G. M. S. 126.
Monogram: 1. 1.
Grohmann, p. 346.
c. 1913. (above preceding page)
28. ST. GEORGE III (HEILIGER GEORG III).
93/8X91/2" (23.8x23.5 cm.).
Not in Grohmann.
c. 1913. (below preceding page)
29. HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE II 1914.
(APOKALYPTISCHE REITER II).
13x83/8" (30 X 21.3 cm.). G. M. S. 106.
Grohmann, p. 346, fig. 669.
An almost identical pen drawing which was on the Swiss art market is
dated 6. VII. 14 on the reverse. Compare with the earlier version
of the subject, cat. no. 16. Here, too, only three of the four
horsemen of the Apocalypse appear. In the lowest part of the oval,
at the right, is St. John of Patmos.
\
'
J* i
•^ v. ,, VjO
1
30. SKETCH FOR THE HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE II. 1914.
(SKIZZE ZU DEN APOKALYPTISCHEN REITERN II).
5VsX S7/s" (13x 9.8 cm.). G. M. S. 115.
31. FORMS IN TENSION (FORMES EN TENSION).
12X153/4" (30x40 cm.).
Monogram: 1.1.
House catalogue no. 634. Grohmann, p. 340, fig. 458.
Collection Nina Kandinsky, Neuilly-sur-Seine.
1936.
32. STABILITY (STABILITE). 1936.
12x153/4" (30x40 cm.).
Monogram: 1. 1.
House catalogue no. 635. Grohmann, p. 340, fig. 459.
Private Collection.
WORKS \OT IS THE EXHIBITION
33. DELUGE (SINTFLUT).
Not in Grohmann.
Lost.
1912.
34. PORT (HAFEN). 1916.
83/8X101// (21.4x26.5 cm.).
Monogram and date: 1. 1.
Not in house catalogue ;
Grohmann, p. 346, as With Sailboats, (not ill.).
Collection Tretjakoff Gallery, Moscow.
35. AMAZON (AMAZONE). 1917.
71/2X71// (18.9x19 cm.).
Monogram and date: 1. 1.
Not in house catalogue ; Grohmann, p. 346, (not ill.).
Collection Tretjakoff Gallery, Moscow.
36. SEATED LADY
(MIT EINER DAME IM GRUNEN). 1917.
63/4X41/4" (17x16 cm.).
Monogram and date: 1. 1.
House catalogue no. 1 ; not in Grohmann.
Collection Tretjakoff Gallery, Moscow.
37. OFFICER (MIT EINEM OFFIZIER). 1917.
House catalogue no. 2; not in Grohmann.
Lost.
38. BOUQUET (MIT DEM STRAUSS). 1918.
House catalogue no. 3 ; not in Grohmann.
Lost.
39. WATERFALL (MIT WASSERFALL). 1918.
House catalogue no. 4; not in Grohmann.
Lost.
40. UNKNOWN SAINT (MIT HEILIGEM). 1918.
House catalogue no. 5 ; not in Grohmann.
Lost.
41. COWS (MIT DEN KUHEN). 1918.
House catalogue no. 6 ; not in Grohmann.
Lost.
42. FRUIT (MIT OBST). 1918.
House catalogue no. 7; not in Grohmann.
Lost.
43. GOLDEN CLOUD
(MIT GOLDENER WOLKE). 1918.
9VsXl2i/8" (25x31 cm.).
Monogram 1. 1.
House catalogue no. 8 ; not in Grohmann.
Collection Russian State Museum, Leningrad.
44. GREEN HORSEMAN
(MIT GRUNEM REITER). 1918.
12 VsX9V8" (31x25 cm.).
House catalogue no. 9; not in Grohmann.
Present of Kandinsky to his mother-in-law.
Collection Mme. de Andreewsky, Moscow.
45. HOBBY HORSE
(MIT DEM SPIELZEUGPFERD). 1918.
9V8Xl2Vs" (25x31 cm.).
Monogram: 1. 1.
House catalogue no. 10;
Grohmann, p. 346, no. 671 as 1917.
Collection Tretjakoff Gallery, Moscow.
46. WHITE CLOUD (MIT WEISSER WOLKE). 1918.
121/8X978* (31x25 cm.).
House catalogue no. 11; not in Grohmann.
Collection Russian State Museum, Leningrad.
47. BOYAR (MIT EINEM BOJAREN). 1918.
12V8x9V8" (31x25 cm.).
House catalogue no. 12; not in Grohmann.
Lost.
48. AMAZON IN YELLOW (AMAZONE GELB). 1918.
12 y8X9Vs" (31X25 cm.).
House catalogue no. 13 ; not in Grohmann.
Lost.
49. AMAZON IN BLUE (AMAZONE BLAU). 1918.
12i/sx9V8" (31x25 cm.).
Monogram 1. 1.
House catalogue no. 14; not in Grohmann.
Collection Russian State Museum, Leningrad.
50.
PINK HORSEMAN
(REITER MIT ROSA HEMD). 1918.
12 1/8X9V8" (31x25 cm.).
House catalogue no. 15; not in Grohmann.
Lost.
51.
1918.
MUSICIANS (MIT MUSIKANTEN)
12 1/8X97// (31x25 cm.).
Monogram 1. 1.
House catalogue no. 16; not in Grohmann
Lost.
52. AMAZON IN THE HILLS
(AMAZONE IN DEN BERGEN). 1918.
I2i/8X97/S (31x25 cm.).
Monogram 1. 1.
House catalogue no. 17; not in Grohmann.
Collection Russian State Museum, Leningrad.
THE SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM
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PHOTOGRAPHIC CREDITS
All photographs except the following are courtesy of the Stadtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich :
Robert E. Mates, no. 4
Galerie Maeght, Paris, no. 18
Courtesy Kenneth C. Lindsay, nos. 34, 43, 49, 52
Exhibition 66\6 December, 1966 — February, 1967
2,000 copies of this catalogue
designed by Herbert Matter
have been printed by Briider Rosenbaum, Vienna
in November, 1966
for the Trustees of The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
on the occasion of the exhibition
"Kandinsky — Painting on Glass"
THE SOLOMON II. GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM
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